Lamp socket and shade holder.



M. P. STEVENS. LAMP SOCKET AND SHADE HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED D110. 2, 1911.

1,030,345, Patented Julie 25, 1-912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

ii irEn sra'rns PATENT oEEicE.

MER'ION P. STEVENS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW J RSEY.

LAMP SOCKET AND SHADE HOLDER.

To all whom it may coacern:

Be it known that I, MnRToN P. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamp Socket and Shade Holders, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in shade holders for lighting fixtures and broadly contemplates the provision of improved and simplified means for supporting a shade, reflector or equivalent in operative position relative to an illuminating means, for instance, an incandescent electric light bulb.

More specifically the invention contemplates a support for supporting an incandescent light bulb or socket therefor, and a shade or reflector about the same.

The object of the invention is particularly to provide a shade holder which will be simple in construction, convenient of operation, which will securely support and" hold a shade or reflector, which will be sightly in appearance, and in which the shade or reflecting engaging parts are concealed from view. I desire it understood that I do not state these objects by way of limitation of the invention but merely to Set forth some of the objects and advantages attained by my invention.

wherein Figure 1 is a view in side eleva tion of a structure exemplifying one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through the same;

' Fig. 3 is a detail view in elevation of one of the parts including the shade or reflector engaglng means; Fig. 4 1s a face or plan view of the means for operatmg the shade or reflector engaging means shown in Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 1. designates a support which, as far as this invention is concerned, is capable of wide variation, but which, for the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 2, 1911.

Patented Jam 25, 1912. Serial No. 663,608.

purposes of this application, I have shown as consisting of a hollow bracket arm having one end rigidly secured to a wall plate 2 adapted to be secured against any surface from which the light or reflector is to be supported. At its opposite or free end the bracket arm carries a hollow head-piece 8, communicating with the bore of the bracket arm and having a lateral threaded opening 4, all as shown clearly in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

5 designates a cylindrical coupling-piece or member having a nipple extension (5 threaded as at 7 and adapted to be screwed into the threaded opening 4 in the headpiece 3. Any suitable means may be employed for holding the extension 6 in place against accidental turning and consequent detachment from the support, as for in stance by soldering it to said support. The nipple extension is preferably of less diaameter than the body of the coupling-piece and is concentric thereto, a passage 10 extending through said coupling and nipple and communicating with the bore of the head and bracket arm. At the juncture of the nipple and coupling body is formed a ridge 10 providing annular shoulders 11, 12 in stepped relation for a purpose to be presently described.

Supported from the end of the coupling opposite to the nipple 6 is a shade or reflector engaging means which preferably consists of a center piece 13 from which radiate and depend a plurality of spring-engaging fingers 14 adapted to be engaged with a shade or reflector. The said holding means may be secured to the coupling in any suitable manner, but I prefer to employ an ex tending part 15 which is projected through an opening in the center piece 13 and then swaged over against the inner face of the center piece to rigidly connect the latter to the coupling.

The spring fingers 14 are of spring sheet metal, and are disposed in circular arrangement concentric with the coupling and each is directed outwardly as at 16 and then longitudinally of the fixture for a suitable distance where they are again directed outwardly and then inwardly to form a locking recess 17 to receive the head of the shade or reflector and are then again directed outwardly to form shoulders or projections 17 to lock under the bead of the shade or reflector, the lower ends of the fingers being flared outwardly, as shown. Some or all of the fingers may be provided with projections 18 on their outer portions on the parts 16 for a purpose to be presently described.

Rotatably mounted on the shoulder 12 is a cup or bell-shaped operating member 19 which depends about and incloses the spring holding fingers heretofore described and is adapted upon rotation to compress one or more of the spring fingers, or all of them into close clamping engagement with the shade or reflector. Supported at the lower end of the rotatable member and projecting upwardly within the same is a rin -piece 20, the upper edge of which terminates intermediate the upper and lower ends of the member 19, and is formed with inwardly and laterally disposed inclined cam surfaces 21 adapted upon rotation to engage the spring fingers to compress the same about the shade or reflector. In the present illustration there are four of these cam surfaces era-ting the fingers.

face 11 of the ridge 10 abuts the head and said ridge being of greater thickness than the metal of the operating member, when the nipple 1s screwed into place the shoulder 11 serves as a spacer to space the coupling from the head to providefor the free rotation of the operating member.

In order to hold the operating member against accidental or unintentional rotation I provide one of the cams with a series of teeth 23 adapted to receive the projection 18 on one of the spring fingers, and I also provide the cam with a projection 24 at its high point to limit rotation of the operating member in either direction.

The lower end portion of the couplingpiece 5 is internally threaded as at 25 to receive a nipple 26 of a socket 27 for the,

plug of an incandescent lamp. It will be understood that when an electric incandescent lamp socket is to be used in connection with the brackets that the conductors for the socket will pass through the support, the head 3 and the coupling 5 into the socket member. r V- When the shade or reflector is to be secured in place the. small flanged end thereof is pushed within the spaceat the lower end of the spring fingers and engaging the outwardly flared portions thereof expands the fingers, the flange or bead passing the curved portion 17 'into the recess 17 when the resiliency of the fingers throws them inward into locking engagement with the flange of the shade. The operating member is then rotated in the proper direction to cause the cams to move the alternate fingers into positive locking engagement with the shade so that the latter will be held against removal. To remove the shade, the operating member is rotated to release the cam held fingers, and the shade is then pulled away from the fixture, the fingers yielding radially to permit the flange of the shade to become disengaged from the recesses 17.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In combination, a support adapted to support a lamp socket, an interposed coupler or union on the support, spring fingers rigidly mounted at the lower end of the coupler, a rotatable member surrounding the fingers and supported from the coupler, and a cam between said rotatable member and said spring fingers, said cam having its engaging face. arranged circumferentially of said fingers and adapted upon rotation of said member to compress a spring finger inwardly to engage a shade or reflector.

2. In combination, a support, a lamp socket, an interposed coupler or union, spring fingers rigidly mounted at the lower end of the coupler, a rotatable member surrounding the fingers and supportedby the coupler, and cams between the said member and said spring fingers, said cams having their faces arranged Vcircumferentially of said fingers and adapted upon rotation of said member to compress said fingers.

3. In combination, a support, a lamp socket, an interposed coupler or 11111011,

spring fingers rigidly mounted at the lower end of the coupler, a rotatable member surrounding the fingers and supported by a shoulder on the coupler, and a cam between the said member and said springfingers adapted upon rotation of said member to compress said fingers.

1. In combination, a support, a lamp socket, an interposed coupler, spring fingers rigidly mounted on the coupler, a houslng surrounding the fingers and supported on the coupling, a ring supported at thelower end of the housing and projecting upwardly within the same, said ring belng provided I with cams adapted upon rotation of the ring to compress the spring fingers.

5. In combination, a support, a lamp socket, an interposed coupler, spring fingers rigidly mounted on the coupler, a housing surrounding the fingers and supported on the coupling, a ring supported at the lower end of the housing and projected upwardly within the same, the innermost edge of the said ring being provided with an inwardly disposed circumferentially cammed flange adapted upon the rotation of the ring to compress the spring fingers.

6. In combination, a support, a lamp socket, an interposed coupler or union, spring fingers rigidly mounted at the lower end of the coupler, a rotatable member surrounding the fingers and supported by the coupler, and cams between the said member and said spring fingers, said cams having their engaging faces extending circumferentially of said fingers and adapted upon rotation of said member to compress said fingers, one of said cams having a series of locking teeth to cooperate with one of the fingers to hold the ring against rotation.

7. In combination, a support, a lamp socket, an interposed coupler or union, spring fingers rigidly mounted at the lower end of the coupler, a rotatable member surrounding the fingers and supported by the coupler, and cams between the said member and said spring fingers, said cams having their engaging faces extending circumferentially of said fingers and adapted upon rotation of said member to compress said fingers, one of said cams having a series of locking teeth to cooperate with a projection on one of the fingers to hold the ring against rotation.

8. In combination, a support, a lamp socket, an interposed coupler or union, spring fingers fixed to the coupler, a housing revoluble on an elevated shoulder of the coupler, and cams interposed between the housing and spring fingers, said cams being arranged posed between the housing and spring fin-' gers, said cams being arranged with their engaging faces extending circumferentially of the fingers whereby rotation of the housing compresses the spring fingers.

10. In combination, a support adapted to support a lamp socket, an interposed coupler or union on the support, spring fingers mounted on the coupler, a rotatable member surrounding the fingers and supported from the coupler, and a cam between said rotatable member and said spring fingers adapted upon rotation of said member to compress a spring finger inwardly to engage a shade or reflector.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IWERTON P. STEVENS.

Witnesses H. D. MURPHY, WVALno M. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

